My first blog - Hidden Elegy, Recollection, PoppyHarp + Interviews
So I finally decided to start writing a blog for the website as a way of updating you all about my projects (composition and singing), research, performances and whatever else might be interesting to share!
It's been a very eventful couple of months, so lots to update about!
Hidden Elegy premiere
The alto flute and piano piece, commissioned by low flute specialist Carla Rees and pianist Xenia Pestova, was premiered at The Forge, London, on 6th September. It was a fantastic night full of six (!) premieres and it was so great to have all the composers present (which included several who are based outside the UK and even outside of Europe!). All the very different pieces were brilliantly performed, and I was incredibly pleased by how well Carla and Xenia brought my piece to life and feel so grateful to them for commissioning and playing it!
It was such a pleasure working with them both - I've seen them both perform together and separately quite a few times and have written a toy piano piece for Xenia, but this was my first time working with Carla too! Working with Carla on a piece for a Kingma-system flute was something I've really wanted to do for years, ever since writing a piece for bass flute and string trio (my first microtonal piece!) for the Rarescale 10th anniversary competition. That piece wasn't shortlisted and therefore never performed (though it did really help me compositionally at the time), so it really felt like coming full circle :)
Here's a little interview from the Rarescale website in anticipation of the concert
And of course, the recording from the concert:
Recollection - Brazilian premiere
Just a few days after the Hidden Elegy world premiere, Recollection, for toy piano, which was also commissioned by Xenia Pestova last summer, was premiered by pianist Késia Decoté in Brazil!
I sadly couldn't be there, but here's a photo of it from Késia's Twitter page:
I don't have a recording from that performance (yet, anyway), but here's the recording of the world premiere, played by Xenia Pestova:
PoppyHarp publishing
I am now officially a published composer! Both of my solo harp pieces, Study for Amplified Harp and Relentless Thought, both premiered by harpist Erica Sinclair, are now available to buy online as a PDF download from PoppyHarp, thanks to the amazing Future Blend project, run by Fran Barsby!
You can buy both scores (as a set) here
And just as a reminder, here are videos of the two harp pieces, performed by Erica Sinclair in the Future Blend concert back in January!
Meet the Artist.... Interview
Pianist and blogger Frances Wilson recently published an interview with me on her awesome blog The Cross-Eyed Pianist! Curious about how I compose (spoilers - it's not sitting by a desk!) or how I got into music? Wonder no more (or at least less, though you may have lots of new questions afterwards..) by reading the interview here!
More news and updates coming very soon! Like my Facebook page and/or follow me on Twitter to get all the updates about new blog posts, recordings and general orange octopus-filled shenanigans!
Soul :) x
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